News

2023: What Is Daylight Saving Time Saving, Really? Hint: It May Not Actually Be Time Or Money

Published

1 year ago

2023-11-06

Daylight saving time was created to help people save money by allowing them to consume less candle wax, coal, or lamp oil.

But, in 2023 America, does daylight saving time provide meaningful benefits to the common consumer?

Decades of investigation have given no conclusive solution. However, some leading time-shift experts now fear daylight-saving time will cost us in the long run.

“I am not aware of any credible study that has documented any energy savings from implementing daylight saving time,” said William Shughart, an economist at Utah State University. “As far as I can tell, all of the effects of daylight saving time are costs.”

That discovery may come as a surprise, at least to history buffs.

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Ben Franklin planted the germ of daylight saving time in 1784 with an essay suggesting that Parisians could save money on candles if they adjusted their schedules to rise with the sun.

Germany instituted daylight time as a wartime measure in 1916, intending to save energy by shifting sunset later in the day. Less artificial light meant more sun. In 1918, America briefly implemented daylight saving time. During World War II, the time shift resumed.

In 1966, America introduced its contemporary switching schedule between daylight and standard time.

During the 1974 energy crisis, the country experimented with permanent daylight time. After a winter of bleak mornings, public support faded, and the experiment stopped.

Congress and the Nixon administration hoped permanent daylight time would lower the nation’s energy consumption until the crisis subsided.

“But it was just a wild idea with no empirical support,” Shughart said. “It sounds plausible, but there’s nothing there.”

Daylight saving time was created to help people save money by allowing them to consume less candle wax, coal, or lamp oil.

The last large time-shift change was in 2007. The nation shifted the start of daylight saving from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March and delayed its end from the final Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November.

This fall, the great resetting arrives on Nov. 5.

In 2008, the Energy Department sought to measure the actual savings of daylight time. In a report to Congress, experts claimed that the nation had cut its energy use by an annual rate of 0.03%. The limited savings came in lower electricity consumption in the evenings during the extra days of daylight hours.

Other research, however, has found the reverse: The semiannual time shift exacts a cost, and daylight time earns little or no benefits.

A major research, initially published in 2008, concluded that the changeover to daylight time cost the citizens of Indiana $9 million a year, or $3.29 per family, in higher electricity expenditures. The study used a natural experiment: Much of Indiana implemented daylight time in 2006.

Matthew Kotchen, a Yale economist, co-authored the research while employed by the University of California, Santa Barbara.

He theorizes that daylight time may have given savings to energy customers decades ago when a bigger share of energy usage went toward lighting homes.

Daylight saving time was created to help people save money by allowing them to consume less candle wax, coal, or lamp oil.

Lighting expenditures appear insignificant when compared to the monthly cost of heating and air conditioning. And this is where daylight savings time can be costly.

“Shifting to daylight saving makes you wake up at the coldest, darkest part of the day,” he remarked.

Consider your daily routine in the final days of daylight time against the first days of standard time. You get out of bed one hour earlier. At 7 a.m., your residence is cooler and darker than at 8 a.m. You may heat your home by increasing the temperature on your thermostat when you get up.

An hour after the time change, you awaken and turn on the heat. The sun rises higher in the sky, warming your dwelling.

Daylight savings time is the most expensive in the autumn, according to Kotchen.

The Indiana research concentrated on a cool, northern state. Americans in the South, on the other hand, may spend more on energy at the end of the day during daylight hours, coming from work or school to a slightly warmer home.

Daylight saving time was created to help people save money by allowing them to consume less candle wax, coal, or lamp oil.

“It’s sunny and hot outside.” “You turn up the air conditioning,” Shughart replied.

Much more research has been conducted to determine whether daylight saving time saves energy and, consequently, money. A 2017 meta-analysis examined dozens of publications and discovered that daylight time costs 0.34% less electricity consumption.

Other research has discovered that the twice-yearly routine of resetting clocks has its consequence.

Researchers have observed an increase in heart attacks and industrial accidents, as well as a decrease in productivity, following the spring change, which deprives the country of an hour of sleep.

One widely referenced 2016 study conducted by the Virginia business Chmura Economics & Analytics estimated that the time shift cost the US economy $434 million.

“I think the major downside of daylight saving time is physiological,” Shughart said in an interview. “It shocks your body twice a year, and it almost doesn’t matter which way the time is shifting.”

Shughart received praise for calculating that resetting clocks costs the country $1.7 billion annually.

That sum indicates lost production when we all take a 10-minute break in the spring and another 10-minute break in the autumn to change our watches.

Shughart admits that the societal cost of clock-setting is lower today than in 2008, when he released his numbers because so many of our devices now adjust the time automatically.

SOURCE – (usatoday)

News

Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

Published

20 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.

The Prime Minister dances.

This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.

Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf

— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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News

Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

Published

21 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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News

Canada’s Lotto Max jackpot Climbs to $80M

Published

22 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
Numbers cannot be repeated
Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
Each play buys 3 lines
Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)